Train 13
by precious-shosh
Summary: Old timers still talk about Jake Hurley's legendary gold strike and how folks found his private train abandoned in Blue Moon Canyon. It's now up to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys to crack a century old case and keep the mystery on the tracks. Romance is also blossoming between Nancy and Frank ;) A slightly altered version of the Nancy Drew PC game 'Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: If I owned Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys then I wouldn't be posting fanfiction on the internet. Trust me.

Author's Note: I've always wanted to read a fanfiction based on the Nancy Drew PC game 'Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon' and since there aren't many, I decided to write one for my own enjoyment. This is my first ever fanfic so please give good constructive criticism. Thanks!

Love precious-shosh xxxx

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Dear Hannah,

Here I am at the railroad station along with a handful of other detectives, about to board a train bound for who knows where.

The only person who knows where we're going is Lori Girard. That's the young woman who invited everyone. Actually, she didn't really invite me — she invited Frank and Joe Hardy, and they invited me, and I've always wanted to join forces with the Hardy Boys.

I just hope this isn't another one of Lori's silly attempts to grab publicity. Some people are a little too rich and a little too famous for their own good.

Wish me luck!

Love Nancy.

Nancy Drew folded her letter, sealed the envelope and made a mental note to post it when she saw a post box.

"All aboard!" Nancy's head snapped up as she spotted Lori and the other passengers making their way to the train. "C'mon Nancy! If we don't board the train now, then it'll leave without us" Joe Hardy joked.

Joe is the younger of the two Hardy Boys. He is very tall and muscular; he has blonde hair and almost always wears the trademark Hardy grin, which makes most girls feel as though they are about to melt in their own shoes. Most girls! Nancy Drew is possibly the only woman he has ever met who is resistant to his flirtatious attempts. Sure Joe is a flirt, a bit silly and always seems to have his mouth filled with food but he is a very loyal friend and is actually quite clever, despite first appearances.

Frank, the eldest, is the complete opposite to his carefree brother. Frank who is also strikingly handsome has dark hair and is slightly taller and more built than Joe. Even though Joe is the 'family clown' Frank does occasionally share a laugh or two in appropriate situations.

Nancy thought that this must be why they work so well together, Joe coming across as the happy and trusting friend and Frank being 'just the facts'.

Nancy was quickly pulled out of her thoughts as Frank grabbed her hand firmly but with care and pulled her out of her seat. She blushed with embarrassment but hid it by stepping past Frank and onto the train.

Once the trio had boarded safely they were ushered into a dining room with a large table in the middle. They took their seats and waited patiently for Lori to begin her speech.

"Well people, now that we're all on board, let's get started. Okay. I, again am Lori Girard and the first thing I want to do is thank you all for coming. John Grey…"

Nancy and the Hardys tuned out for most of the speech and only picked up on the names of the other passengers.

"And then there's Frank and Joe Hardy, they're… amateur detectives?" Nancy noticed that at that Frank and Joe exchanged a quick glance. Frank was wearing a calming expression while Joe was practically seething with anger.

"My dad and their dad are old friends" Lori continued. "And you must be the other amateur detective, their friend, Natalie?" Joe snickered and Nancy gave him a playful glare before returning to Lori. "Nancy, Nancy Drew" she corrected. "Whatever" Joe wasn't the only one angry by this point, Frank looked ready to kill after Lori blew her off like that.

"All right, I'll bet you're wondering where we're going. Well, we're going to Copper Gorge, Colorado. Why? To solve the mystery of what happened to Jake Hurley, the man who originally owned this train.

Because see, one day in 1903, his train — this train — was found in a place called Blue Moon Canyon, which is out in the middle of the Nevada Desert. Only the engineer was on board and he was dead. As for Jake Hurley? He had disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Oh, and two more things: before he disappeared, Jake was rumored to have found the richest gold mine in the world and the train he owned — this train? His wife, Camille, died on it while they were going to the gold fields. It was rumored to be haunted."

All of a sudden, the lights went out and they were sitting in pitch black darkness. Then, an ear piercing scream filled the silenced room and the lights turned back on as suddenly as they had turned off. Everyone was wearing the same gobsmacked expression on their faces as it dawned on them that in fact, Lori Girard was no longer with them in the room.

Everyone was whispering to themselves when John Grey, the star from the popular TV show 'Ghost Hunters' stood up and walked out of the room while muttering dangerously "People should never go tampering with things they don't understand."

Charleena Purcell, the famous author who writes romance novels set in the wild west looked very annoyed and was complaining about work until she got cut short by Tino Balducci, the 'famous', gorgeous and very stupid police stood up looking very smug and reassured everyone "It's okay, everybody just stay calm. No need to panic. I'll get to the bottom of this."

Nancy looked over to the Hardys as Tino confidently strutted out of the room. She was not very surprised to see that neither of them looked reassured. Joe looked at Frank and then Nancy with laughter dancing in his eyes "Well Nancy, you're up to all that social etiquette stuff. What're you supposed to do when you're hostess vanishes into thin air?" "Find her" Nancy stated simply as she walked out to go interrogate the other passengers.

Charleena was the first person she saw so she started up a conversation. "If I don't seem concerned, it's because I'm not. Lori Girard is a young woman whose only goal in life is to be famous. She craves attention and habitually uses her father's considerable wealth to get it." Charleena stated matter-of-factly.

"So, you think her disappearing like that is just some kind of publicity stunt?" Nancy enquired "I just think she couldn't resist showing off in front of all us minor celebrities."

Nancy was just about to ask Charleena another question but she heard a faint "Psst, Nancy" She turned around to see Joe standing in the doorway "Come here" Joe ushered.

Nancy excused herself from Charleena and walked back into the dining car to see what the Hardy Boys needed so urgently.

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Author's Notes: So what could the Hardy Boys want? Of course if you've already played the game then you already know!

I am in the process of writing the next chapter so you can expect it sometime next week. After all, this does take a lot of time and game playing, not that I'm complaining!

Read and Review please! Thanks

Love precious-shosh xxxx


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Majority of this chapter is written in 1st person so if you see writing like this _*This is what a character is thinking*_

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Chapter 2

"Hey Nance" greeted Joe as Nancy sat down opposite him and Frank.

"Where've you two been?" Nancy enquired with interest.

"I followed Balducci" replied Joe

"And I went after John Grey. He went straight into the room in the car that used to be Camille's and didn't come out again. I could hear all these weird noises coming from inside." Frank replied with a confused look.

"Did you talk to him?" Asked Nancy, hoping to get some information.

"I was just about to go in, but the next thing I know, Joe's got my arm in vice-grip and is dragging me back here babbling about how Balducci is our guy"

Nancy laughed at Frank's re-enactment and had no doubts that actually happened.

"He found something on the floor right where Lori was standing when the train went dark. I saw him put it in his pocket. Then he left." Joe explained.

Nancy was getting eager; this could be a clue as to Lori's whereabouts! "Did you see what it was?"

"When I tried to talk to him, he just kinda brushed be aside and said something snotty like" Joe cleared his throat and started talking in a deep and mocking tone. "I'm on the job here, junior, so just go back to the playground and stay out of the way." Joe finished his performance by smashing his fist on the table.

"In case you two hadn't noticed, we're not getting a lot of respect around here. Can't we at least tell Balducci that we do stuff for ATAC?" Joe asked Frank.

"You know the rules" Frank glared at Joe.

"ATAC?" Nancy asked, whatever it is, it sounds impressive.

"American Teens Against Crime. We do a lot of undercover work for them." Frank explained.

"Wonder Cop's probably never even been undercover." Joe muttered sullenly.

"Joe? Let it go" Frank said while rolling his eyes at his little brother's antics.

"What'd Charleena have to say?"

"She thinks Lori is faking this whole disappearance thing." Nancy replied with certainty.

"She's not the only one." Frank admitted.

"How can you say that? You heard Lori scream." Joe argued defensively.

"Anyone can scream, Joe, especially girls whose fathers have given them acting lessons along with everything else they've ever wanted."

Nancy was weighing her options when Joe gave her puppy dog eyes and asked "What about you, Nancy? What do you think?"

Nancy laughed at Joe's hopeful expression but answered truthfully.

"I kind of agree with Frank." Frank turned slightly pink and rolled his eyes at his brother who was complaining, yet again

"You've got to be kidding!"

"Well whether Lori disappeared by force or by choice, what we've gotta do now is find her." Nancy stated logically.

"Absolutely" Frank agreed.

"So… what's the game plan big brother?" Asked Joe. Frank snapped into leadership mode

"Okay. Nancy, I think you should go and talk to Balducci, see if he's hiding anything. You're a young, smart and beautiful woman; I think that you should be quite capable of charming your way into his good books." Nancy blushed at Frank's compliments but stayed professional.

"Joe, it's time to test out your silly flirtatious skills for real. Go talk to Charleena Purcell and see what information you can dig up on Jake Hurley. Try and find out stuff like what the engineer's name was and how Camille died etc." Frank instructed Joe.

"Hey, my flirtatious skills aren't silly! I use them at least four times a day. It's a gift that clearly skipped your generation. In fact, I think that both of our parent's good traits skipped your generation." Joe reported.

"I'll let you keep thinking that, Joe, just stop talking and let's get serious again for a minute. I'll go back to Camille's car and talk to John Grey. I'll be finding out what he's playing at. Should we meet back here in an hour and compare notes?"

Nancy and Joe nodded in agreement and the trio went their separate ways to talk with their assigned person.

- Nancy -

I began walking up the train when I stopped suddenly, face to face with a stuffed animal head. I noticed a pretty gemstone stuck in one of its eyes.

_*Either someone put the gemstone there, or there were originally two gemstone eyes and someone took one out. Probably the first, if there was two then why would someone just take one?*_

Then I noticed a small square table to my left with a peculiar design on the top. I looked at it closely and pulled out the drawer. Inside there was a puzzle.

_*I guess I have to solve the puzzle to match the design above it.*_

Once I finished the puzzle, a little secret compartment popped out of place. Inside was a folded piece of paper.

"Left pick axe and lamp with Buell for safe-keeping. To open what's closed, lead is the key." I read aloud.

_*Whatever that means.*_

I pocketed the paper, closed the drawer and continued walking down the train until I finally reached Jake Hurley's private car.

_*Well, here goes nothing.*_

I walked down to the end of the car to where Tino was sitting at a desk and reading. I tried to wiggle my hips and smile to look as seductive as possible.

_*Gross, he's about 10 years older than me. I think it'll look worse for him if he falls for this.*_

"Hey, Nancy right?" Tino asked while looking me up and down.

_*This is my chance; I'll have to compliment him somehow.*_

"You've got a better memory than our hostess." I said with a wink.

"Who doesn't?" Tino chuckled with a smirk.

"Amateur detective, huh? Ever thought of becoming a police detective? You know like me?" Tino asked with a proud grin.

"I don't know, do you like what you do?" I asked curiously.

"I love it. You, uh, heard about those bank robberies I solved, right?" Tino wondered.

"Yes, I sure did." I replied while popping my hip out to the side suggestively.

"Baffling case…" Tino droned on and on and on for over half an hour about the robberies, bragging at his every chance.

I almost fell asleep when I realized that he had stopped talking.

"I heard, the only weapon they were armed with was a plastic knife from a carry-out chicken place." I replied. I couldn't help but mock this clown.

"… you heard wrong. Anyway you should take a look around in here, there's a lot of interesting stuff. Of course, now it's a lot more interesting with you here." Tino winked.

_*Great, now I'm getting somewhere*_

"I understand that you found something on the floor in the dining car?" I suggested sweetly.

"Yeah, it's just a worthless old coin. In fact, here, keep it. Wear it around your neck or something. That way, when people ask you where you got it, you can tell them that Tino Balducci gave it to you. The Tino Balducci."

"Ohhh, thank you" I replied, batting my eyelashes. "Thanks for your help."

"Anything for you, gorgeous" Tino flirted with a wink.

"Also, if you wanted to discuss the case or anything else for that matter, give me a call." Tino suggested while he handed me a piece of paper.

_Tino Balducci-(312) 555-5375 ;) xox_

I held back a chuckle as I flipped my hair around and walked out of the car.

I decided to make my way back to the dining car as I only had 5 minutes until I was supposed to meet with Frank and Joe.

_*Sigh…*_

- Frank -

I quickly made my way to the car that I had almost seen the inside of until Joe had so rudely interrupted.

_*Honestly, that kid can be a complete nightmare. Thank goodness Nancy is here to help us with the case, I'm not sure if I could stand half of Joe's teasing, alone. Although, Joe probably wouldn't be teasing me half as much if Nancy wasn't here.*_

I was startled out of my thoughts as I realized that I was already standing outside Camille's car.

_*Well, here goes nothing*_

I walked down to the end of the car to where John was standing.

He was wearing earphones of some kind so I don't think he noticed me come in. Once he spotted me, he started talking.

"Hi, you're the serious Hardy boy, Frank. How are you doing? John Grey." John introduced himself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I've seen your TV show." I lied

_*Maybe if he thinks I'm a fan of his then he'll give me more information in the long run*_

"Then I don't have to explain what I'm doing?" John asked hopefully.

_*Oh shoot…*_

"Uh, yeah, you do." I said guiltily.

"Okay. Right now I'm taking…"

John droned on and on and on for over half an hour talking about his theory of energy matter or whatever it all means.

I almost fell asleep when I realized he had stopped talking.

"That's very interesting." I lied again.

"It's all very scientific. But the fact is, Lori's missing, and I for one am doing everything in my power to find her. The vibes I'm getting make me think she could be in serious trouble." He replied with a solemn look.

"You don't think that Tino Balducci will be able to track him down?" I asked sarcastically.

John smirked, "I doubt it, in fact. I almost feel sorry for the guy. Almost. After catching those bank robbers, he can't just be a good cop anymore, he's gotta be a great cop. Tough to perform under that kind of pressure." John said, looking off into the distance.

"What's your opinion of Charleena Purcell?" I asked but I felt as if I already knew the answer.

"Charleena Purcell writes romance novels. End of comment." John spat.

"What about Lori? Is she a friend of yours?" I tried.

"First time I met her was when I boarded this train with all the rest of you. I knew her by reputation of course. Like everyone else who reads the tabloids. It doesn't appear that anyone aboard this train is her friend."

_*Hmm… I'll have to remember to ask Nancy if she reads the tabloids*_

"Maybe she planned it that way." I wondered.

"You mean, so we'd concentrate all our efforts into finding Jake Hurley's mine? Possible, although, she doesn't really strike me as being the planning type." John laughed.

"I won't keep you any longer" I said, starting to make my way out of the car.

"It was a real pleasure talking to you, Frank." He replied with a genuine smile.

Once I was finally out Camille's car I decided to make my way back to the dining car. I only had 5 minutes until I was supposed to be meeting Nancy and Joe.

_*Sigh…*_

- Joe -

As Frank and Nancy walked out of the dining car I began to frown.

_*Yuck, I can't believe that Frank is actually making me flirt with a woman who is at least 30 years older than me and writes romance novels. If she flirts back then I'm definitely going to vomit. Then again, it could be worse. Nancy has to flirt with Balducci.*_

I walked out of the dining car and spotted Charleena sitting at the table, typing away on her laptop.

_*Well, here goes nothing.*_

"Yes?" Charleena asked, looking frustrated.

"What are you working on?" I asked, attempting to look interested.

"I'm writing my next book. I'm on a deadline, so until I write those two most wonderful of all three-letter words – 'The End' – everywhere I go, my laptop goes, and every chance I get, I write."

"Why do you think Lori invited you on this trip? Apart from your looks and obvious talent." I winked and flashed my award heart throbbing smile.

"No doubt because I'm such an authority on life in the old West and because I'm so good at using old information to unearth new information. My knack for research is… well, it's a gift."

_*This might be a little harder than I originally thought. This woman has quite the ego.*_

"The others on the train, John Grey and Balducci – do you know them very well?" I wondered.

"I'm glad to say that I don't…"

Charleena droned on and on and on for over half an hour about John Grey's so-called 'profession' and complained at every chance she got.

I almost fell asleep until I realized that she had stopped talking.

"So, do you think Balducci is a good investigator?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"No. You, your brother and that nice Nancy girl would be better investigators and researchers." She stated.

"Sure, Frank is the researcher, Nancy does most of the investigating but I'm definitely the brains behind the trio, and the beauty." I winked.

Charleena winked back. "Is there anything else you want, dear?"

"Yes, what else do you know about Jake Hurley?" I asked, getting serious.

"Wealthy, imaginative, adventurous, stubborn, egocentric, and most importantly, he was smitten by the age of 35 by a young French woman named Camille Voulet who died about a year after they were married."

_*Trust this woman to believe that 'love' is most important.*_

"If Camille was French, then where was Jake from?" I wondered.

"East Coast, Philadelphia, I think." She replied.

"Where did he meet Camille?" I asked, curiously.

"I don't know, the story behind her passing seems to be a mystery too. All I know is that years after Camille died; he went back to his old friends and family, filthy rich. To this day, Jakes gold mine's location remains quite unknown." She replied.

"I'll touch bases with you later." I flashed my grin again and winked.

"I look forward to it." Charleena winked back.

I resisted the urge to gag as I walked back into the dining car to wait for Frank and Nancy's appearance.

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Author's Notes: Please read, review and favourite!

Love precious-shosh xxxx


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: Here's another chapter.

So sorry about the wait! I've just started year 11 and the workload is pretty overwhelming but I'm starting to be able to manage it better now so hopefully I get enough time to update more often.

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Chapter 3

"I was beginning to think I'd been stood up!" Joe commented sarcastically as Nancy and Frank walked into the dining car and sat down.

"I was giving it some serious thought" Frank laughed.

"Yeah but you decided to come back because Nancy would; now I'm just a third wheel." Joe teased with a wink.

"Zip it, Joe. So Nancy, what happened with Balducci?" Frank asked while blushing furiously.

"Well, I walked in to Jake's private car looking like some fan girl who has a 'thing' for older men. What's even more disgusting is that he even flirted back! He gave me his phone number for goodness sake!" Nancy yelled while throwing her arms in the air.

"Ugh, that's gross but not nearly as gross as Charleena winking at me and calling me 'dear'. She's old enough to be my grandmother but yet she still has no shame in flirting with males half her age." Joe competed.

"Yeah, but you're a very well-known flirt Mr Hardy despite age differences. I am not." Nancy argued.

"All right guys, cut it out. What has happened to both of you is equally disgusting. Charleena flirting with Joe is very disturbing because of the obvious age gap and Tino giving Nancy his number is very… uncalled for? In any case, Nancy, when I asked about what happened with Balducci, I was more wondering if he gave you any information. Useful information I mean." Frank explained with a frustrated look.

"Oh… sorry, well he gave me this old coin; he said that it's what he found where Lori was standing at the end of this table. He told me to wear it around my neck so that people would ask me about it. I was thinking about shoving it down his throat so that he couldn't talk anymore. And who knows, Frank, his phone number might come in handy if you want to do any snooping and need a distraction." Nancy contemplated.

"Gosh Nancy, what kind of distraction were you thinking of? I didn't think you were that kind of girl." Joe teased with a wink.

"I'll shove this old coin down your throat in a minute." Nancy threatened.

"What I meant was, when Tino gave me this piece of paper he said that if I ever wanted to talk about the case or anything else for that matter then I should give him a call. I'm just thinking, when we get to Copper Gorge I could call him to meet at a local diner and give you guys a chance to snoop. I don't mind, I might even get some information out of him." Nancy concluded.

"Okay, but what does Ned think about all this?" Frank wondered.

"Ned? I don't think it's any of his business." Nancy snapped.

"Oh, sorry… I just thought…" Frank trailed off.

"Thought what?" Nancy asked suspiciously.

"Well, I thought that he is your boyfriend and he might have something to say about you meeting Tino for lunch. After all, he always had something to say about you meeting us." Frank said quickly.

"Well, I will confirm your suspicions in thinking that we are not dating anymore. He cheated on me with at least two other girls that I know of. He broke my heart and that's really all I have to say on the matter." Nancy finished.

"Oh…" Frank looked awkwardly at Joe for some help.

"What Mr deer-caught-in-the-headlights here means to say is: Gosh that's too bad Nancy, the exact same thing happened to me with Callie! Isn't it funny how much we have in common?" Joe filled in with and nudged Frank with his elbow.

"Oh my gosh, are you serious? How long ago was that?" Nancy asked in a concerned tone. She knew how much Frank loved Callie; she was pretty sure that Frank would be the first of her friends to get married.

"Oh it was at least 6 months ago, I'm over it now." Frank replied reassuringly.

"Yeah, this man's single to mingle!" Joe winked at Nancy and gave Frank a mischievous glance.

"Joe…" Frank warned "So how long ago did you find out? About Ned I mean." Frank asked innocently.

"I know that you're a detective and all and asking questions is your job but that really isn't any of your business." Nancy snapped.

"I'm sorry, you're right. I'm sorry I asked… Okay, so as I was saying, that's actually a really good idea." Frank quickly changed the subject.

"Yeah Frank, we can call it 'Plan Distraction, snoop Tino's desk' with a capitol D" Joe smiled, trying to help his big brother out with his awkwardness.

"Whatever you say, Joe" Frank replied with a tired look on face.

Joe stood up and made his way to the doorway. "I'm going to grab something to eat, all this flirting and teasing is making me hungry." As he said that, he tripped on the leg of the table and went flying out of sight.

Frank and Nancy sat at their seats for a few minutes, gasping for air from laughing at Joe.

"Oh… my gosh…" Frank said in between laughter "Where did that man disappear off to?"

Frank sat tall in his seat and strained to look around the room.

Nancy stood up and walked over to a bookshelf and noticed that it was slightly ajar.

"Hey Frank, check this out." Nancy pulled at the bookshelf and revealed a secret door and Joe sitting up on the floor brushing himself off.

"Jeeze, don't worry about me guys. Take your time." Joe complained as he pulled himself off the floor "I must have tripped on a lever or something to unlock the door, c'mon lets go check it out, lovebirds."

Frank blushed and muttered something incomprehensible and took the lead down the narrow secret passage way.

Joe waved his hand forward in a gesture to let Nancy pass before him and they followed Frank.

They had been walking for a while when Frank stopped abruptly which therefore lead to Nancy bumping into Frank and Joe bumping into Nancy.

Nancy was whispering her apologies while Frank was attempting to hide his blush yet again; meanwhile, Joe is having right good time laughing at the awkwardness in front of him.

"Gosh, I didn't actually realize this until now but the sexual tension between you two is so thick that I could cut it with a knife!"

"Joe, please don't start this again" Frank pleaded desperately.

"Oh, c'mon guys, now is really not the time." Nancy stated firmly "Frank, why on earth did you stop in the first place?"

"There's a door…" Frank replied slowly

"So why can't one of you dimwits open it?" Joe asked exasperatingly while he squeezed past Frank and Nancy "You know, sometimes I feel as though I do all the work"

"Yeah, pay particular attention to the 'sometimes'" Frank retorted

Joe ignored Frank's comeback and opened the door slowly to create suspension. Once he had it open far enough for him to see inside he heard a familiar voice-

"Wow, I didn't expect you to find me…"

* * *

Author's Notes: Don't worry, there will be more action soon. The start of the game is pretty slow going so I've tried to make it more interesting with some humor attached.

Please read and review and feel free to throw any suggestions at me, I'm open to any ideas and constructive criticism

Thanks, Love precious-shosh xxxx


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: I'm really sorry about the time between chapters, I really am! School is pretty tough but I have a 2 week break now so I'll try my hardest to get onto as many chapters as possible to tide you over :)**

**Enjoy xxx**

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Chapter 4

"Wow, I didn't expect you to find me…"

A very shocked looking Joe opened the door all the way and sure enough, there was Lori, lounging on an old fashioned couch reading a book.

"I… uh… we… uh…" Joe spluttered

"What he means to say is that WE found you" Frank stepped past Joe and into view.

"And you're welcome" Nancy added while stepping forward also.

"Yeah, thanks for the encouragement" Joe muttered under his breath after recovering from his shock.

Finally, Lori began to talk, appearing to have gotten over her shock as well.

"Oh my gosh, I never thought you'd be the ones to find me. No offence… uh Nadine?" Lori guessed

"Nancy, Nancy drew." Nancy corrected "Whatever" Lori looked away

Joe cleared his throat loudly and everyone looked at him.

"Oh sorry, and you two… Fred and Joe Harvey wasn't it?" Lori asked, not really interested

Joe was about to retort when Frank cut in "Yeah that's close enough. So, do you mind telling us why you're here?"

"Right, well as you can see, I wasn't really spirited away by ghosts or anything…" Lori started

"Well there goes that theory that we never had." Joe muttered sarcastically. Lori glared at him and continued.

"… You know that bookshelf in the dining car? Well there's a lever attached to the table leg in there, if you push it down then it slides right open. I practiced disappearing for weeks."

Joe opened his mouth as if to say something witty again but snapped it shut once he saw the glare he was getting from Frank.

"So it was all just for show?" Nancy asked with a hint of disappointment

"Well not entirely… See, here's the deal. My dad wound up with this train when he bought out NorAm Shipping. They'd been storing it in this old warehouse outside St. Louis for so long, that everyone had just forgotten about it. Anyway, after like mass begging on my part, dad had the train restored to working condition and got me an engineer and track permits and all that other stuff until finally – here we are. On our way to find out what happened to Jake Hurley." Lori finished and exhaled loudly.

"Uh… I think you missed out the part where you told us why you kidnapped yourself…" Joe commented

"Oh… right. Well, see, I was one of the first people in like a hundred years to set foot on this train, okay? Everything was just the way it was when Jake disappeared. Except I also found this…" Lori pulled out a sheet of paper from her coat pocket and unfolded it.

It's a letter that Jake wrote in 1901 to his niece back east. He was really paranoid about claim jumpers, which is why he never told anyone where his mine was, but he was also afraid that something would happen to him and no one would ever know where it was . So he wrote this letter to his only living relative, Ruth Kensington. Here, take it." Lori handed the letter over to Nancy who skimmed through it and handed it to Frank.

While Frank was reading the letter Nancy looked at Joe and then Lori suspiciously. "You want us to have it, but why?" Nancy asked sceptically

"Because you found me!" Lori exclaimed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world "Look, everything that is mentioned in that letter is through that golden door behind you. Good luck!" Lori dismissed them.

The trio turned around and just as Lori said, there was a magnificent golden door at the end of the car.

Frank walked forward, opened the door and waved his hand to allow Nancy through first. She smiled gratefully and walked quickly for. One by one they jumped over to the next car and walk through another golden door.

As Joe walked into the new car the door shut and there was a loud click. "Uh oh" Joe quickly turned back to the door and wrenched at it but it wouldn't budge.

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**Author's note: Thanks for reading, please read and review :) Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Wow that was quick! I know but I feel really guilty for leaving you guys hanging like that for so long. I warn you with this chapter though, it might get a little too fluffy for comfort. I really surprised myself here with this chapter, I'm usually one to write fight scenes and the like! But let me know what you think!**

**Enjoy :) xxx**

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Chapter 5

"Damnit!" Joe looked frustrated and glared at Frank "well, you're the smart one, how do we get out of here?"

Frank looked thoughtful and looked up to the ceiling "Well, Mr Clutzy here fell though the bookshelf in the dining car and we found ourselves in a hidden car which only had one other door which would suggest that it was the last carriage of the train. That would mean that the car we are now trapped inside would not the final car on the train so if I'm not mistaken" Frank turned around to face the other end of the car and smirked "Which I'm usually not, then there would be another door at the end of this car which we could use to escape this golden nightmare."

Frank turned around sharply when he heard Nancy laughing and gave her a confused glance.

"You guys are hilarious, you know that? And plus, I already tried that door as soon as we came in but no one noticed because Joe was being very dramatic. You added onto that quite well, Frank! Your dramatic speech of putting two and two together was quite enjoyable I'll admit" Nancy teased.

Frank turned bright red and glared at Nancy "Thanks…" Frank cut himself short because he saw Joe at the end of the car opening and closing drawers.

Joe looked up from his snooping and smirked at Frank's still blushing face "Oh sorry…" Joe drawled "Did I interrupt something between you two?"

Nancy's face soon matched Frank's. They looked at each other and the simultaneously stepped away from each other. Joe started laughing so they both glared at him and Joe started coughing to cover up his laughing. Soon enough they were all sitting on the floor laughing.

Frank ever the serious one, stood up quickly and brushed himself off. The other two quickly followed suit but only toppled over again as the train gave a sharp jump and then stopped. Frank was the only one who managed to stay standing because he grabbed onto a tall statue looking thing with a winding handle just in time. He looked over to Joe and Nancy who were still lying on the floor and rushed over to Nancy who was closest to him.

She had obviously hit her head on a bulb like thing which was attached in the middle to another one the same, they were gold of course and they resembled lamps that were hanging upside down.

Nancy was out cold so Frank put her into the recovery position and rushed over to Joe.

Joe was just coming to, so Frank told him to just stay put and he would find a way out by himself while the other two were recovering.

Frank's POV

_I'd better find a way out of here, quick_

I started rummaging through the drawers that Joe was looking through before.

There was nothing of interest in the first two drawers but in the third drawer there was a set of blueprints

_Looks like to make this thing – whatever it is – I'm going to need a spyglass, a pick axe and a lamp. Citrine, Amethyst, Zircon… those are all gemstones, Callie would go on and on and on for ages about what her favourite gemstones were for, I should know! _

I looked at the blueprints for a bit longer and noticed something familiar.

_Hang on… that looks like the thing that Nancy bumped her head on!_

I turned around and put the blueprints up to my eye level, I looked over and sure enough, the blueprints were referring to everything in this car!

_I'd better hang onto these._

I folded them up carefully and put them in a hidden pocked in my back pack.

_Now for the last drawer._

I opened it up and… nothing.

_Well. That's slightly disappointing. _

I walked up to the exit door and I pushed it a few times.

_Damn, it is locked._

I turned to my left and saw a strange looking keypad. I pressed a random key and it sprang back up to its original place. I clicked all of them but the last one got stuck, I tried to press the stuck one again but nothing happened. I clicked another and both of them sprang up.

_Hmmm…_

I clicked the last one and then another one and they both stayed down.

_Oh I get it! It's a memory lock._

After a while of playing around with the lock, it finally beeped and the door swang open. I closed it and went back to Joe.

I sat Joe up slowly and asked him if he was alright to walk. He had a nasty cut above his right eyebrow but apart from that he was looking fine.

Joe stood up and declared that he is alright.

I turned from Joe and saw that Nancy was still in the recovery position.

"Joe, I want you to hold the door while I carry Nancy to the sleeping car."

I noticed that he was going to say a smart comment but decided against it.

Joe turned to the door and opened it, he looked at me in amazement and I urged him to go on.

I bent down and picked Nancy up into my arms, I found that she is surprisingly light.

I realised that once we were out of that carriage, the sleeping car was only three doors away.

_It was all right around the corner. _

Once we got into Joe and my sleeping car, I carefully laid her down on my bed and fixed the covers.

I noticed that Joe had left so I quickly kissed her forehead.

_I'll be back soon, I promise._

I didn't have the guts to whisper it.

I opened the door and turned back to Nancy to see that she had a small smile on her face.

I struggled to contain mine as I walked back to the dining car to share my findings with Joe.

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**Author notes: Naww, I really felt like a fluffy idiot while writing this. Let me know what you think, any ideas? Do you want me to continue with the whole 'fluff' approach? I definitely want to bring some action into this soon but unfortunately, this game is a little too 'smooth sailing'. Read and review! **


	6. Chapter 6

Note: Sorry about the wait everyone! Been busy with school and I've been sick and in hospital so... here it is :)

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**Chapter 6**

Nancy's POV:

_Ugh... what time is it? Why is my head pounding? Oh.. wait thats the door._

"Come in!"

3rd Person:

Frank walked into his and Joe's currently occupied sleeping car quietly and looked at Nancy worriedly who was sitting up on the side of his bed.

"Are you sure you should be sitting up?" Frank teased

"Ugh" Nancy groaned "Go on, tell me. How long have I been out for?" Nancy pretended to grimace and look away

Frank laughed and spoke in his best 'doctor' voice "Now, now Ms Drew, lets not squint our eyes too much, you have been out for almost 3 hours... you should be opening them! Nor keeping them closed."

"3 HOURS!" Nancy yelled then put her hand to her head and spoke quieter "You should have woken me up! What have I missed?"

Frank smiled at Nancy's curiosity and shook his head "It could be worse, Nan. You could have been out for 3 days! You hit your head on this funny mechanism that I'm yet to figure out. I'll give you the loop on the way to the dining car, are you alright to walk?"

"Ha, of course I'm alright!" Nancy shook her head.

Nancy stood up from the bed and felt all of the blood rush to her head and fell back onto the bed.

Frank grabbed her arm and slowly pulled her off the bed. He put Nancy's arm around his waist and he helped her out the door.

The two walked to the dining car while Frank filled Nancy in on the past 3 hours.

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Note: Sorry this chapter is extremely short! It probably doesn't even count as a chapter... I'll update ASAP, I promise :) Please, please, please read and review! I love to hear your feedback :) xxxx


	7. Chapter 7

Note: Hey guys! Since my last chapter wasn't long enough to be a chapter at all I'm rewarding you all with another one... right now! Enjoy

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**Chapter 7:**

"Okay so first things first we need to find all of the gemstones, lucky for me, dating Callie is like having a masters degree..." Frank instructed

"Me too, although I didn't date Callie, I dated her best friend and thats good enough" Joe added

"I think I saw a book on gemstones in Jake's car, I'll do a bit of background reading when I'm in there next." Nancy nodded

"That sounds good, if anyone finds a gemstone, keep it." Frank clarified "We have about 20 minutes until we arrive at Copper Gorge..."

"CHEESEBURGER!" Joe cut in

"Yes Joe... Cheeseburger." Frank sighed "as I was saying... we have 20 minutes to look for these gemstones. Well, you two have 20 minutes."

"What will you be doing then?" Nancy asked

"I, will be looking for documents, anything that might tell us anything about anything, really. otherwise we'll be at a dead end." Frank explained

Nancy and Joe looked at each other and Frank clapped his hands.

"Lets get to work!" Frank ushered.

Joe's POV:

_Sweet, finding things! after 80 years of having a pigsty of a bedroom, I finally get to put my finding skills into good use._

_Inspiration, inspiration..._

I looked up and thought about where to go when I saw a pretty glittering above my head in the light.

I reached up and pulled firmly on the source

_Zircon! One down, 5 to go. This is surprisingly easy_

Nancy's POV:

I was walking down the hall way when I almost bumped into the animal head, again.

_Hang on... _

I looked at the left eye of the mounted head and pulled out the gemstone

_I know this is Peridot! This is surprisingly easy, 1 down, 5 to go._

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Note: Short again, I know. I honestly ran out of time before dinner haha xxxx Read and Review!


	8. Chapter 8

NOTE: I hope you haven't waited too long! School has finished for the semester so I have 3 weeks to catch up on publishing :) Enjoy

P.S. you'll need to use your imagination a lot in this chapter. I play it like a movie in my head when I read it so it makes sense.

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**Chapter********8:**

**_Imagine Nancy, Joe and Frank doing all of this at the exact same time but in different places..._**

Nancy, Joe and Frank looked at their watches simultaneously

"Whoops, only 5 minutes until we arrive at Copper Gorge! I'd better make my way to the others."

Joe and Nancy started walking to the dining car while Frank started walking to the sleeping car when...

*WHAM* (end simultaneous effect)

"Ohhh... that is so... not good... for my head..." Nancy groaned

"I'm surprised you passed out after that little bump before, you've got a hard head" Frank joked while rubbing the side of his head where Nancy and his collided.

"I just can't get enough of falling over, can I?" Joe asked as he pulled himself off the ground from where he tripped over the carpet and therefore pushed Nancy into Frank.

"Domino effect, that one" Frank stated.

"We seem to have found each other just in time, we've arrived!" Nancy declared

"Thank goodness for that, I've missed solid ground" Joe complained

"So what's the game plan, leader?" Nancy asked lightheartedly.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could split up and each go somewhere different..." Frank began

"I shotgun going to the diner!" Joe cut in

Frank glared at Joe and Nancy laughed

"I'll go to the cemetery then and Nancy, you can go..."

"With me." A strange, obnoxious voice claimed.

"Oh... Bal... er... Tino" Nancy stuttered in surprise

Nancy regained her posture and tried again. "And where would that be?" She asked, fake flirting.

"Ahh well, I'm planning on taking a group out on a hike, in search of the lost mine. I'm fairly confident that I've found enough evidence supporting that it is indeed in Copper Gorge." Tino puffed his chest out.

"Oh that sounds interesting, Tino. It's a real shame I can't tag along." Nancy finished abruptly and walked down to the end of the train.

Nancy jumped off the train and breathed in the fresh air. She looked around at the beautiful mountains stretching into the distance, she spotted a bright blue lake glittering in the sunlight as she inhaled again.

She heard footsteps and hoped for the heavens that it wasn't Tino but to her greatest relief, she heard Joe's loud voice.

"Wowie, you can play hard to get better than Princess Peach, poor Frank was wishing that he could be Tino, just for a bit of action."

"Joe, do yourself and everyone else around you a favour and stop talking. You were pretty good though, Nance." Frank added.

"Why thank you. I was just about to head on my way to Buells." Nancy pointed in the direction of the general store.

"Good plan, Nancy, I'll go to the cemetery to look at Camille's crypt. I guess that leaves the diner for you, Joe" Frank rolled his eyes

"I'll be good, I promise." Joe laughed

And at that, the trio walked their separate ways.

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NOTE: Please, please review! It's getting hard to work up the motivation to write the chapters let alone publish them. Thanks :) xxxx


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Sorry about the long wait again, guys! Enjoy :)

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**Chapter 9:**

**-NANCY'S POV-**

****"Hey there! Welcome to Buell's old time taffy house! C'mon over here" Shouted a country voice

"Welcome, stranger, listen, you by any chance get here on that private train what's parked out yonder?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I did" I replied

"Welcome little missy" the unknown person in costume repeated for the third time "Go on in 'n take a gander at what life was durin' the heyday of Copper Gorge!"

"Are you... Buell?" I asked uncertainly

"Do I sound like a Buell to you?" They said angrily

"Sorry." I apologized "The costume kinda... you know. Threw me off."

"Oh. Right. Sometimes I forget I'm wearing this thing, I'm Fatima." Fatima said sheepishly "Buell was my great great uncle. This building used to be his general store. Durin' the glory days back in the 1800s. He commenced to pawnbrokerin' so the miners Copper Gorge was crawlin' with back then could raise some cash ta pay for grub 'n tools 'n such." Fatima explained.

"Do you by any chance have any of Jake Hurley's things in here?" I asked hopefully

"Jake who?" Fatima asked

"Jake Hurley. He was a miner. He may have left a pick ax and/or a lamp with your great uncle." I predicted.

"Never heard of him. Of course that doesn't mean that his stuff isn't here, just means you're just gonna have to look around 'n see for yourself - but remember, Susie Q - Don't touch." Fatima pressed.

I turned around from Fatima and immediately saw an old chest with a beautiful pattern carved into it.

_That's not your regular pawn shop item._

There was a small white label on the bottom right corner of the chest which read

_Hurley... I'll bet this was Jake's trunk!_

"Fatima, do you know what's in that old trunk over there?" I asked innocently

"Why? you ain't been foolin' around with it, have ya?" Fatima asked suspiciously

"Oh no, of course not." I reassured "No, I just thought it might contain the lamp and pick ax that I asked you about before."

"Well if it does, you can forget about 'em cause I ain't gonna let you touch anythin' in my store unless you do somethin' for me" Fatima suggested.

"Sure" I agreed

"I got a bunch of taffy over there what needs sortin'. Just follow the directions that're posted by the machine." Fatima explained "Them belts get movin' pretty fast, so you gotta keep yer wits about ya. While you're doin' that, I'll fetch that pick ax."

"You got a deal" I confirmed and walked through the door and into the back room to sort taffy candy.

"Got that taffy sorted?" I heard as I walked back through the door after sorting.

"No problem, that was easy." I bragged

"You sneak any freebies while you were at it?" Fatima asked suspiciously

"Oh no, I would never do that" I reassured

"Well, ain't you the goody two shoes. Truth is, wouldn'ta minded too much if ya had. Long as you 'fessed up to it." Fatima admitted "Well, there ya are, go on over there and open that trunk, you've earned it."

"Thank you" I turned around and faced the trunk, I opened it and sure enough there was a pick ax, a lamp and bonus! Even the spy glass was in there.

_Well, that was easy_

"Did ya find what you were lookin' for?" Fatima asked

"I sure did, thanks again" I smiled.

I walked towards the door to leave but it opened and in walked Frank and Joe.

"There you are, we've been looking for you." Joe addressed

"Yeah, you won't believe the lucky break we've caught." Frank expressed

"Lucky break? Hey, that was the result of good old fashioned detective work." Joe said proudly

"It was the result of your insisting we stop for a cheeseburger." Frank rolled his eyes.

"Guys, what's going on?" I asked, confused

"Well it turns out that a great grandchild of Jake's engineer still lives around here." Frank explained

"What's more, he hangs out at the local diner. Comes in every day" Joe continued

"Apparently he's pretty ancient" Frank raised his eyebrows.

"And you found that out when you stopped there so Joe could get a hamburger" I concluded

Joe put his face inches from mine and claimed "Cheeseburger"

"The thing is, the owner of the diner wouldn't agree to point the guy out unless one of us fills in for his short-order cook" Frank complained

"He's gotta go home and wait for the cable guy or something" Joe explained

"And since Joe here barely knows how to boil water, guess who got the job." Frank stated sarcastically

"Way to go, Frank" I praised

"Hey, I can boil water. It's just that when it's got things floating in it, I get confused!" Joe covered up

"Whatever, Joe" Frank rolled his eyes "Hey, I'd better get going. Wish me luck"

"Good luck Frankie poo!" Joe said in a high pitched girly voice.

Frank rolled his eyes again and walked out the door

"Hey, wait for me!" Joe yelled "You can make me a cheese burger."

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**A.N. So there's a lot of text in this chapter, huh? text, not Tex... anyway, please read and review! I need more reviews guys, keep 'em comin' :) xxxx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

*****ring ring*

*ring ring*

"Hello?" Nancy asked into the phone

"Hey, it's Frank. I'm in the kitchen in the diner playing short order cook."

"Has that grandchild of Jake's engineer showed up yet?" Nancy asked hopefully

"Just came in with this lady who's even older than he is. And get this, he's a retired miner, so every time I finish and order and ring the pick up bell, he thinks it;s the mine shaft elevator bell and for some reason it makes him start telling his lady friend about his grandfather." Frank explained

"You mean, you ring the bell and he starts talking about James Thurston?" Nancy clarified

"Exactly." Frank confirmed "Of course, 5 seconds later, he's rambling on about something totally unrelated, but I just fill an order, ring the bell and ding. He picks up right where he left off. That is, unless I fill the order wrong and the waitress chews me out. She's got a voice like a chainsaw. Not attractive." Frank complained

"Sounds like you better keep your ears open and your nose to the grindstone." Nancy advised

"I am. Just wanted to keep you posted." Frank stated quietly

"Well, good luck!" Nancy said cheerfully

"Thanks, talk to ya soon." Frank hung up the phone.

**Frank's POV**

_All right, what burger am I starting with?_

I picked up the order list from the counter and read it

Volcano Burger:

Onions

Jalapenos

Hot Mustard

Bacon

Cheese

_Sweet, better get started_

I put all the ingredients together and put the burger bun on top

*ding ding*

I pressed the bell

"So, do you know what you want to order yet, Edna?" the Old Timer asked

"I'm still looking." came from an old and frail voice, assumed to be Edna

"Did I tell you that my granddaddy was the engineer on a private train owned..."

_Blah, blah, blah. He's not talking about anything interesting_

I kept filling out the orders until I heard the Old Timer say something interesting for once

"... But the craziest thing Jake Hurley ever did, was tell granddad the secret to finding his mine. It's so bizarre that I remember it to this day. This is what Crazy Jake Hurley told granddad, word for word." The Old Timer began

"The eye of the tiger is fixed on a star,

Zircon lies in fingers that scar.

Amethyst floats in a hand from the deep,

Citrine is what a fowl mouth shall keep.

Tourmaline by a soft arm is ensnared,

Peridot rests at the foot of the mare." The Old Timer recited

I wrote it down on my notepad and folded it neatly into my backpack

_I'd better show this to Nancy and Joe._

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**AN: Thank you for reading, please review! ciao ciao :)**


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